Custom massage oils and home parties coming soon!

I'm so excited about incorporating essential oils in massage & yoga that I ordered bottles so I can create hydrosols and massage oil blends for my clients & yoga students.  Anticipated arrival is just before the holidays.  I'm not sure how quickly I will  have some 'potions' ready due to the pace of the holiday season.

I also have been thinking alot about how best to offer essential oils as a retail product.  Aside from creating custom blends, I have also become involved with Floracopeia., in addition to Young Living.  I first learned of Floracopeia while doing chair massage at Passiflora in New Hartford and while shopping at the Kripalu store when taking a workshop.  Floracopeia partners with local distillers around the world to offer organic essential oils at a lower price point (I suppose being born in the 70s influences my preference to supporting local people before corporations).  One reason for the lower price point could be that Floracopeia doesn't standardize batches the same way that Young Living does (YL is possibly the only company that strives to maintain a high consitency of ingredients so that you receive the same benefits from a 2011 bottle of lavender as a 2013 bottle of lavender).  Another could be that they don't have the marketing support or variety that YL does.  It should also be noted that Floracopeia oils are not rated for ingestion as some Young Living oils are.  I will be receiving my first batch of single note oils in a week or so. I'm anxious to see if I'm able to notice any difference to the oils.

I believe that offering different brands of similar products gives the purchaser the best option to select products that are affordable, and still suppport healing intentions.  This business model is already proven in a variety of retail ventures such as vitamin stores, sporting goods, and even insurance.  I guess you could say that I'm pro-choice.

YL has an awesome collection of proprietary blends that work great.  So far I've used Clarity, Valor, Thieves, Peace & Calming, White Angelica, Harmony, Joy, Deep Relief, Stress Away, and Breath Again.  I don't think I could ever give these up!  Plus there are many more that I will be adding to my collection over time.

Starting in the new year, I will be available to showcase essential oils in a home party format and informational lectures/meeting.  If you are interested in learning how essential oils are made, can be used or would like to talk about either line of products, please be in touch.  If you are interested in hosting a party, I will be featuring only one line of oils.  We would discuss which line would best serve your needs.  Young Living offers clean cleaning products and supplements in addition to essential oils.

Fizzy Epsom salt foot soak bombs

Fizzy Epsom salt foot soak bombs, a photo by AlpacaEnvy on Flickr.

You know you want one in your stocking ;)

Fizzy Epson Salt Foot Soak Project

I was looking for a way to share essential oils with my friends, colleagues & clients for the holidays this year.  I thought foot soak bombs would be nice.  After looking at several websites for recipes on how to make fizzy bath bombs, I decided on a recipe that uses only 1/4c citric acid (because it is challenging to source at the last minute & can be expensive).

I made two batches to start.  One with peppermint essential oil & one with lavender.  I want to make a YL Thieves (R) batch also, but I need to buy more baking soda first.

The making process was fairly easy and didn't take long.  The recipe suggests allowing the fizzy bombs to dry for about 4 hours.  While the bombs dry, your house will smell like the fragrance you used. 

The weather was spectacular today, so I went for a walk with the dog.  I came home, stretched, showered & got the basin ready.  It turns out that the bombs are very fragile. So I used one that I broke in the process of removing it from the mold.  It fizzed & smelled really nice.  I'm looking forward to using another one soon.

Feel Great Everyday Challenge

I found this protocol & figured I would try it & see what happens.  I have created a few Feel Great Everyday sample kits for you to try for a few days too.  If you would like one, please comment or get in touch via email: bodhiscents(at)younglivingworld.com. I'm anxious to hear how the oils worked for you!
Gary Young's Great Day Protocol (as originally posted on www.younglivingsuccess.com Sept 2011)

Start your day with this simple routine and discover how happy & confident you can feel!!

1. Place one drop of Valor on the inside of your left wrist. Hold the inside of your right wrist to your left wrist for a few minutes. This step balances the body.

2. Apply a drop of Harmony to your solar plexus (the area just above your belly button) to calm your mind and promote positive feelings.

3. Apply one drop of Joy to the area above your heart. THis step helps bring happiness to your mind & body.

4.Place a single drop of White Angelica in the palm of your hand and rub the hands together.  Lightly brush both hands over your head, face, shoulders, chest and down the rest of your body as if you were applying an angelic shield.

Just found this survey about Raindrop technique

I discovered this webpage today.  Check it out if you are considering receiving a raindrop session.
http://www.raindroptraining.com/research/index.html

Raindrop Kit has arrived!!

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this kit.  The kit contains 9 essential oils & oil blends including: oregano, thyme, basil, cypress, wintergreen, marjoram, peppermint, Valor (TM), and Aroma Seiz (TM).  The kit also has 2 massage oil blends. 

Young Living Valor (TM) is an energy balancing blend of spruce, blue tansy, rosewood, & frankincense.  Promotes feelings of strength, courage & protection. It is also used to support energy alignment in the body.

Young Living Aroma Seiz (TM) is a combination of lavender & peppermint to relax tight muscles.

Oregano oil is warming to the skin and has antibacterial, antiviral, and antiseptic qualities.

Thyme oil is supportive of immunity with antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, and antifungal properties.

Basil oil invites a sense of balance back to the body and can restore mental clarity/focus.

Cypress oil has antiseptic properties; supports healthy nails & toning of skin; supports the circulatory system; and promotes a sense of grounding.

Marjoram oil relaxes muscles & calms the body.  It can ease joint stiffness.

Peppermint oil can aid normal digestion, ease tension & promote respiratory function.  The fresh aroma combats fatigue.

During a session, essential oils are applied to the feet and the back.  Specific oils are used in specific locations to enhance therapeutic effect.  I am practicing the techniques for this treatment over the next couple of days.

I'm planning to offer a raindrop treatment in combo with gentle massage using warmed sesame oil or coconut oil to nuture your whole being--body & soul.

No expectations

I started using some oils in the massage office this week. Since I'm just getting started, I had no expectations.  It turns out that they worked really well. The most interesting discovery for the week was with YL Valor blend. It's a bit of a joke with my clients that they get free cryotherapy from my cold hands, especially at the start of a session (trust me I've tried lots of ways to warm them).  Even though my hands started cold this week, they warmed up after I added Valor to the lotion in my hands.  The heat stayed too. My clients really enjoyed their sessions too with very little side effects. Comments like "best massage yet" are going to be challenging to reproduce.  However, I attribute the reactions to an enhanced client/therapist connection from the addition of the oils.  I felt more intuitive during the sessions.

Application of YL Purification on a clients feet resulted in the client experiencing a great increase in blood flow to the area for about 10 minutes after application.  I did some homework afterwards & learned that using the V6 massage oil blend will help cool the body when this response occurs. I'm hopeful that plain old grapeseed oil will do the trick to, since that is my oil of choice in my office.
I also brought the Thieves household cleaner to yoga class to clean the mats that I have available for students who don't have one.  I offered the cleaner for the students to use too.  Everyone loved the fragrance.  I used a splash of cleaner in 3/4 basin of very warm water. The only recommendation I have would be to rinse the mats afterwards.  There is a strange residue on some mats.  I haven't noticed if this change in texture would affect the grippiness of the mat during practice yet.

Lemon oil infused water: After trying the lemon water at the health fair, I've been offering it to everyone. After initial apprehension, the results are very good.  The greatest learning for the week...use only glass bottles for oil infusions.  We added a drop of lemon oil to water that was in a waxed paper cup (like you get from a soda fountain).  After about 15 minutes the lemon oil removed the wax from the cup.  Fortunately,  the cup contents were discarded before the cup sprung a leak.

I highly recommend Go Glass bottles by Lifefactory .  Everyone had one at the KYTA conference at Kripalu.  I was so excited to see that my local health food store had them for sale-- I got a pink one :)

Getting started...

People explore essential oils for many reasons and frequently claim that their lives are changed.  I have to say that I have been avoiding essential oils for about 3 years.  My rational mind found it difficult to believe that aroma could profoundly impact a person.  It seems silly that I had this notion...just ask anyone who had their day changed after their dog had an encounter with a skunk!

So why did I get started now?

I have been working part-time juggling a job in a hospital with benefits, teaching yoga & offering massage therapy. After 7 years, I was beginning to burn out.  I scheduled a trip to Kripalu to recharge at the KYTA conference & was really looking forward to reconnecting with the energy that got me on the path to healing arts in the first place.

A few days before the conference, I was doing chair massage at a health fair.  I didn't want to go.  I really considered going home for a nap, but I went anyway.  I set up next to a former colleague who was selling Young Living Essential Oils.  I tried some "joy" on my wrists & neck, "deep relief" on my forarm, and drank some lemon infused water.  I felt better.  My colleage & I discussed how I could use the oils in my massage practice & yoga classes.  I decided in that moment to enroll as an independent distributor. Let the journey begin....